Orange Chicken

Orange chicken stir fried in a thick sweet and spicy orange glaze is destined to be your answer to Chinese takeout. It’s healthier and more delicious than many Chinese restaurants that I have been to. About a month ago, I saw this recipe on food gawker and immediately bookmarked it. I love Chinese food, however, many times the chinese food you find at restaurants or take out places are deep fried. Like I have said before, I do enjoy the occasional deep fried food, but I would prefer a healthier take out choice. This dish made me almost fall out of my chair when I took the first bite. It was absolutely amazing, so much so that I would have to say it is my new favorite dish! No joke, the thick sweet and spicy orange glaze was so flavorful my husband was upset when it was all gone. Since it was just the two of us I halved this recipe, but after we devoured it, we both agreed that we should have doubled it!

Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne until the sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup of the mixture and pour into the bag with the chicken. Refrigerate 60 minutes.

While the chicken is marinading, in a large saucepan, bring the remaining orange juice mixture to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water until combined and add to the sauce. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the orange peel and chiles; set aside.

Heat peanut oil in a wok or large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until browned and cooked through; remove from heat and set aside. Reheat the sauce over medium heat until simmer, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve over rice.

this looks divine. I love general tso’s chicken, but i hate eating it fried. i am bookmarking this, and although I don’t make chicken that often, maybe I’ll try it with broccoli and other chinese veggies. so good. you take some kickass pics lady!

I love orange chicken but have never made it at home for fear of being disappointed. Your recipe looks very promising and may be moving from your kitchen to mine in the near future. I hope you have a wonderful evening. Blessings…Mary

I have been burned by some recipes claiming to be as good as Panda Express’s Orange Chicken… yes, it’s my favorite. But you never lead me astray, so I’ll try this one! It looks sooooo good in the photo!

So glad you like this dish! As much as I’d like to take credit for the recipe myself, I actually found it on Annie’s Eats and it originally came from an America’s Test Kitchen cookbook, which you also may want to mention as your source. ATK is VERY finicky about not being cited.

Hahaha! I totally agree, my husband and I ate until we were sick…it was just sooo good! I am so glad that you enjoyed it and came back and told me about it. I love hearing from those who have tried my recipes!

The chicken is marinating as we speak! I have to tell you the sauce smells A. MAZE. ING. So exited to have this — I order orange chicken at pretty much any Asian restaurant we go to, and if this is as good as I think it’s going to be, I no longer need to feel sorry for myself that we don’t go out to eat

Wouldn’t ya know, I have everything but the chicken… (I knew there was a reason I was eyeing it at the grocery store — need to follow my instincts next time!) Thanks for this flavorful recipe — I’m going back to the store tomorrow.